


Hello, Stranger.

by lavellantrash



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cullen is too nervous for this, M/M, Online Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 21:59:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4322295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavellantrash/pseuds/lavellantrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen and Dorian are online boyfriends who are about to meet each other for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hello, Stranger.

_This is it_ , Cullen thought.  _This is the day I finally get to meet him._

He got out of the car, almost tripping along the way, and fumbled with his keys to lock the doors.

He was nervous, to say the least.

They’ve discussed meeting one another in person for a while, Cullen being the one to bring up the suggestion. At first, Dorian seemed reluctant on the arrangement, but eventually agreed and soon enough the date was set in stone.

As that day drew closer, Cullen grew more and more ecstatic. There were some doubts of course, but his excitement couldn’t be contained the slightest bit. He hit a tipping point though, the moment he got in his car, all he wanted was to fast forward to the time he would meet Dorian face to face.

Now he was walking through the airport, searching for the terminal Dorian had messaged him to meet at and _god_   _how big could this airport get_? Cullen checked the time, and he realized he still had about half an hour left before Dorian’s flight would arrive.

Finally he found the terminal and decided to sit at one of benches since he found it too difficult to stand in one place for even a minute. There was still some time left, and Cullen was about to check his phone for any new messages until he saw something that caught his eye.

There was a girl, probably in her late teens, who stood by the entrance with a hopeful expression that felt as if it could radiate the entire room. But that wasn’t what caught Cullen’s eye. It was the card she was holding, with a name displayed in bold letters with hearts surrounding the edges.

That’s when Cullen had the most ridiculous idea he could ever think of at the spur of the moment.

He looked around and found a piece of cardboard lying around, picking it up and brushing off the piece with some care. Then he realized he needed something to write with. He cursed in his mind, knowing it would be too late to go back to his car to grab a pen or-

There was a light tap behind his shoulder. He was startled, but turned to find the girl with the sign and the same, hopeful look on her face, only slightly concerned now. “Sir? I saw you looking for something and thought you might need help. I still have a marker if you want to borrow it.” She spoke politely, fishing around in her pocket to pull out a marker before handing it to Cullen.

Cullen was speechless for a moment, but gave a kind smile in return and thanked the girl when he was given the marker.

He decided on writing Dorian’s name in cursive, feeling the style suited him and giving the makeshift card a more uplifting look. Before he added the dot to the eye, he stopped himself and opted on adding a heart in its place instead.

Walking back to terminal entrance, he gave one last look back at the board and took a deep breath. His heart wouldn’t stop racing.  _This is actually it,_  was all Cullen could think of as he watched the plane finally land.

“You’ll be fine, trust me.” He gave a light chuckle when he heard the girl’s voice betraying her own words. She was just as nervous as him.

***

Soon enough, people began to walk out one by one, some with haggard looks from the long ride, others more than eager to have finally made it on solid ground.

There was a shy looking girl, no younger than the one who had stood beside Cullen, who walked out with desperate eyes immediately searching for something-no, _someone_ , until they fell on the sign that held onto a name. Her name.

She almost dropped her luggage when she rushed towards the girl who had offered Cullen kindness that day. They were both crying, and as Cullen witnessed this he couldn’t help but feel glad for the both of them as he watched them walk out together with content expressions. Neither had let go of the other’s hand.

“Oh my god you didn’t.”

Cullen held his breath. He turned back to the source of that oh-so familiar voice and his grip tightened on the cardboard. He didn’t think his heart could beat any faster at the sight of Dorian, standing there in awe as his eyes were on that stupid piece of cardboard he still held onto proudly.

Then his eyes traveled up to him, and he could have sworn his heart would stop right there.

His feet felt as if they were glued to the floor as Dorian quickly walked up to him, and right when they were a mere few feet from one another Dorian suddenly dropped his back and brought his hands up to rest at the sides of Cullen’s face before he leaned in to crash his lips onto his own.

The world around Cullen felt distant. His eyes fell shut as the sign fell from his hands so his arms could wrap around Dorian’s waist. After what felt like years of waiting he realized he  _needed_ this, more than anything he could ever imagine. They pulled back a bit and rested their foreheads against each other, Dorian giving an elated gasp that turned into weak laughter making Cullen’s stomach flip in excitement.

“Hello, stranger.” Cullen spoke softly, his eyes never leaving Dorian’s the minute he opened them. They both wore the most idiotic grins, and for the first time he could feel the other’s warmth. And it felt wonderful.

Dorian leaned back to look at him fully now, and peered down at the sign before bending down to pick it up. “Really, you are quite the card Mr.Rutherford.” He joked, smirking as he held the actual card before him for emphasis.

And just then, Cullen felt a wave of relief suddenly wash over him, and he laughed.


End file.
